Transload and cross-dock near the Port of Oakland

Import transload: container to trailer

An import transload takes the cargo out of an ocean container and puts it on a domestic trailer or into storage. The empty container goes back to the terminal. The freight moves on, or waits until you need it.

Shippers do this in Oakland for a few reasons:

• To get the empty back sooner and stop paying for the container and chassis while freight waits for a dock.
• To ship inland on larger trailers, so several containers can become fewer trailer loads.
• To split one container between several customers or warehouses.
• To keep ocean equipment near the port when the line limits how far its containers can travel.

Export consolidation

Oakland is a major export port. Many shippers have cargo that arrives at the port area by truck or trailer and needs to leave in an ocean container. We consolidate inbound shipments into export containers in the Bay Area, then deliver the loaded box to the terminal before the cutoff.

That means one team handles the empty pickup, the loading, and the delivery to OICT, TraPac or Everport. See export drayage for how the timing works.

How an Oakland transload runs

1. We pull the container from the terminal with a confirmed appointment, after checking holds and the last free day.
2. We unload it, floor-loaded or palletized, and take photos at receiving.
3. We load the outbound trailer your carrier sends, or store the freight in our Oakland-area warehouse.
4. We return the empty to a terminal that is open and accepting it.

For exports, the steps run the other way: freight in, container loaded and sealed, loaded box delivered to the terminal.

What to include in your request

• Import or export, and container size and count.
• Floor-loaded or palletized, with a rough carton or pallet count.
• Where the freight goes next, and what equipment picks it up.
• For exports: booking details, vessel cutoff and the terminal.
• Anything special: heavy cargo, fragile items, hazmat, temperature.

Use the quote form below. Partial details are fine. We reply within one business day.

One team for the box and the cargo

We run the drayage and the transload ourselves, so container status, the last free day, the unload and the empty return all sit on one shipment. You don't have to chase a trucker and a warehouse separately. See our Oakland drayage, or transload in Houston if you also ship through the Gulf.